What I have Been Building on the Weekends

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 3, 2012

Ive been building a SFI 25.3 chassis in my mustang. This is a street car though that sees alot of race duty... I had never used a tubing bender before. I was fairly okay with a tig welder, and a notcher too.

This chassis is all in chromoly and is legal to 6.50s in the 1/4 mile at 3600 lbs.

Here are some pictures of the progress so far.

Here is what I started with...

Got the floor peice built

Main hoop and first funny car bar

And then this weekends progress

Gonna start on the rear back bar setup now. Everything is tacked into place, once I know I got everything to fit, I will weld the whole thing completely up. Prolly take me 2-3 days because the only thing that is completely welded up is the floor piece.

Ill keep this up to date, just figured Id show you guys where my real heart and soul is. Only got into diesels to tow this to the race track.

Made a rear bar hoop, and just need to attach it to the rear subframe when I start working on this thing again.

So this is where it will stay for atleast until next friday! I think I may start the rear trunk bars and parachute mount next weekend, either that or do the door bars and x the roof...

This is coming right along!

907DAVE · Apr 3, 2012

Nice work!

Sub'ed

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 3, 2012

907DAVE said:
Nice work!

Sub'ed

Thanks man! I had never done any tubing work or cage work... but I am really enjoying building this... Might beable to make a career of this if I don't want to work for a big corporation haha...

Sucks that I only get to work on it over the weekends though, I have been trying to do homework all day but I have been thinking about how im gonna do the next bar LOL. Im hoping my mini tub kit comes this week so I can start on that and get the coil over cross member done up in there and drop bars from the rear hoop above my package tray to the rear coil over bar that is welded to the inner of the rear subframe.

01platinum · Apr 3, 2012

That is a sweet project. Nice work for being a first timer with a tube Bender.

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91turbogsx · Apr 3, 2012

Looks awesome! What are you using for a bender?

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 3, 2012

I bought a JD2 Model 32 Manual bender... Being 20 I couldnt afford the hydraulic setup. But If I start buying cheap 500 dollar v6 cars and 4 cyl fox bodys and do 25.3's in those car, easily sell as 5-6 grand even with nothing but the chassis in the car even factory rear ends and stuff, and start doing this to make extra money, I will be ugrading to a hydraulic.

This chassis to have built at a chassis shop was quoted 9800 and 11200. I have 1600 in tools, 1400 in my welder(bought it a while ago not for this reason) and gas and everything there, and 1900 in material. So I have about 4800 in this chassis, and thats more than I have in my truck that runs and drives haha...

BigTonka · Apr 3, 2012

looking good so how much weight are you adding to the car?

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 3, 2012

I bet it comes in at an extra 55-60 pounds from the 10 point I had in there before. Chromoly is pretty light, and alot of that is 1.5 .065 wall tubing. I have some smaller that I get to use for gussets and stuff though. The extra strength is gonna be nice, and I love the "jacking"rails I have made with my floor structure.

But the mini tubs drop weight, as does the cutting all the trunk floor out, and hell the roof is gone haha its like 95 lbs.

Just in glass vs lexan which is going back in, I am gonna loose close to 80 lbs.

Im hoping with out me in it, with my blower setup and a iron block and c4, I can be at 2900 lbs. Put my fat ass in it and 100 lbs of ballast where I want it to set the chassis up and run the drag radial classes.

78f100 · Apr 3, 2012

nice work, nice looking welds! I love metal work but have alot to learn.

Dustin34520 · Apr 3, 2012

Real nice work! You should start taking orders. I got a buddy that has been on a waiting list for almost a year to put one in his WS-6.

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 3, 2012

Dustin34520 said:
Real nice work! You should start taking orders. I got a buddy that has been on a waiting list for almost a year to put one in his WS-6.

Based on your location I hope he is taking it to Dave Zimmerman at TeamZ....

And thanks for the compliments guys! This is my first one, I have learned alot, and the roof never would come off if I were to do it again. But nobody will know the roof came off once I get to the point of putting it back on. There is no body work required!

BigTonka · Apr 3, 2012

an extra 55-60 pounds wow not bad at all I would have thought it would be more but then again what do I know LOL. Looking good can't wait to see more pics

Dustin34520 · Apr 4, 2012

MustangMatt96GT said:
Based on your location I hope he is taking it to Dave Zimmerman at TeamZ....

And thanks for the compliments guys! This is my first one, I have learned alot, and the roof never would come off if I were to do it again. But nobody will know the roof came off once I get to the point of putting it back on. There is no body work required!

I don't think so, I'll have to ask him. I know it's in Pekin, IL. We went down there for his rear end. They are a popular but very small shop. They do great work, but they need to hire some more people if they have work lined up for over a year out. Sounds to me like this Dave Zimmerman might be worth a look. I tried to Google him but no luck. Do you have his contact information? Thanks

Ad8 PRODIGY · Apr 4, 2012

Wow thats some impressive work! Congrats!

MustangMatt96GT · Apr 4, 2012

Dustin34520 said:
I don't think so, I'll have to ask him. I know it's in Pekin, IL. We went down there for his rear end. They are a popular but very small shop. They do great work, but they need to hire some more people if they have work lined up for over a year out. Sounds to me like this Dave Zimmerman might be worth a look. I tried to Google him but no luck. Do you have his contact information? Thanks

TeamZ motorsports

He started as a stock supension chassis builder, and has developed into probably the best stock suspension builder/chassis tuner.

http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/

Dustin34520 · Apr 4, 2012

MustangMatt96GT said:
TeamZ motorsports

He started as a stock supension chassis builder, and has developed into probably the best stock suspension builder/chassis tuner.

http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/

Thanks, I'll pass this on to my buddy today. Hopefully he's open to it. Couldn't hurt to call.